North's hemisphere

Early next week a planeload of Australian Test specialists will reach London to prepare for the Ashes, and try to put the team's Twenty20 humiliation firmly in the past. Most of the five-day men have created Fleet Street headlines already. Not Marcus North. Despite his shaping as a pivotal player the tabloids have found him as interesting as a bowl of porridge.

There have been howls of protest at Phillip Hughes' acclimatising with centuries for Middlesex, Stuart Clark has caused indignation by trying for a county stint before visa problems arose, and Andrew McDonald has been photoshopped into a fast-food clown. Although North, who will turn 30 during the Ashes, has avoided the spotlight, he knows what it's like to be an Australian in England in an Ashes year.

"I had a very short stint at Lancashire for about seven or eight weeks in 2005," North told Cricinfo. "I was watching it on TV, so it wasn't a great time for me. The English supporters and public were waiting for that day to beat us. I got plenty of stick over there, that's for sure."

Back then there was nothing North could do to help Australia's cause. This time, despite his career being just two Tests old, he looms as a key man for the team's balance. A century on debut in Johannesburg sealed his spot as a calming influence at No. 6, and his part-time offbreaks will be important if spin-thin Australia choose an all-pace attack.

But it's his batting that ought to earn him England's respect. Of Australia's 16-man touring party only Simon Katich and Michael Hussey have played more first-class cricket in England than North, whose tally includes stints for five counties and an average of 50 or more in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Australia's selectors admire his ability to score his runs in tough circumstances, and a reverse-swinging Duke is nothing new to North.

"That's probably going to be the key to the batting, to adjust and combat that swing quickly," he said. "We've seen that Jimmy Anderson is swinging the ball consistently both ways, and that's something I think proved a big weapon in the 2005 Ashes campaign.

"They're both very strong attacks. The English will be suited to their English conditions. Jimmy Anderson has really come of age, Stuart Broad is maturing each Test that he plays, and Ryan Sidebottom has got an extremely good record in England, as well as [Andrew] Flintoff if he's fit. They're going to be a tough opposition. They've got a pretty well-balanced bowling attack."

Not that many bowling outfits are scarier than Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel, who North saw off to become the 18th Australian to score a century on Test debut. It was the first time in a decade-long career that North, who eschews the on-field flashiness favoured by his Test predecessor Andrew Symonds, had truly grabbed the attention of the Australian cricket public.

"Three months have gone past and it feels like yesterday," North said. "I'll be honest, I still pinch myself a little bit. It's an achievement I'll remember for the rest of my days, but that's gone now, that's the last series, and my focus is on doing well and trying to establish myself as a player in England."

His preparation has involved a couple of trips to the Centre of Excellence, although Australia resisted the temptation of sending him for specialist spin training in the lead-up to the Ashes. He collected his maiden first-class five-wicket haul during a tour match in South Africa, and his presence will tempt the selectors to squeeze out Nathan Hauritz and choose four fast men.

"In the past I've looked at myself as a part-time bowler, but it's something that I've identified in the last 18 months to really work hard on," he said. "I feel that I can hold my own with the ball, and I can offer Ricky a good option, not just as a holding role, but an attacking role as the wickets get a bit more worn on the fourth and fifth day."

Unlike most Test rookies North knows plenty about what a leader requires from his troops. Two seasons ago he was named captain of Western Australia, and it sharpened his focus on his own role in the team. Runs began to come on difficult surfaces when his side needed him the most, and it pushed him to the top of the queue when Symonds became unavailable.

"One of the best things that happened in my career was getting the captaincy of Western Australia," he said. "That was a huge honour and gave me a real focus to try and improve Western Australian cricket. It gave me that responsibility, which carried into my game as well.

"I felt that it was in tough conditions or when the team needed it the most that I performed. I felt that's probably given me a hardened edge as a first-class player, which hopefully will hold me in good stead at Test level."

It started well in South Africa. The next phase begins a couple of days earlier than expected, after his flight was brought forward because of Australia's premature exit from the ICC World Twenty20. But until the Tests begin, expect North to keep flying under the radar.